Bay State single-family homes put under agreement last month increased compared to the same time last year ­ — the most active July for pending home sales since the data has been tracked, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

The number of single-family homes put under agreement in July increased by more than 17 percent compared to a year ago as 5,339 homes went under contract, up from 4,554 a year ago. This is the 17th-straight month of year-over-year increases, MAR reported.

As buyer demand soared, so did prices. The median sales price of single-family homes put under agreement in July reached $360,000, a nearly 3 percent increase from $350,000 in July 2013.

“It’s no surprise to see buyer demand continue its strong pace into the second half of the year,” said Peter Ruffini, MAR's president, in a statement. “Combined with the fact that new listings to the market were up significantly in June, this should translate into good year-over-year sales numbers for July.”

Condos put under agreement in July were also up from last year. The number of condos put under agreement last month increased 9.9 percent to 2,046 units, up from 1,862 in 2013. It’s the most number of condos put under agreement in July since 2005 when 2,186 units were recorded.

The median sales price of a condo put under agreement in June rose to $320, 000, up from $312,000 in 2013, a 2.6 percent hike.

MAR tracks pending sales, also called homes under agreement, which is an indicator of actual housing sales for the next 90 days. A pending sale or a sale “under agreement” is when the buyer and seller agree on the terms of the sale of a home and have a signed a purchase and sale agreement, but have yet to close.

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